Unsure how your social media presence can improve your search engine rankings?
Content is king in the world of SEO (search engine optimization), and the content you share on your social media accounts can have an impact on your SEO. To be clear, the amount of impact has long been debated although most can agree that there is at least an indirect impact.
About 68 percent of online experiences begin with a search engine, so it’s worth striving for social media best practices since they do impact the factors that directly affect your search rankings.
(Find out how you can check your Google search ranking for free.)
The following are seven ways that social media can (indirectly) influence your SEO.
Social media profiles rank in search engines
To start, social media profiles are not contained to the platforms they exist on. They do appear in branded search results. And often, they are prominently visible (i.e. high up in the list and usually on the first page).
You’ll want to capitalize on this search engine visibility by creating (if you haven’t already) and optimizing your social media profiles in every way possible.
The key is to put yourself in the user’s shoes. He or she is searching for you and then clicks on your social media profile result. Be sure that the information you provide and the content you’re sharing represents your brand and gives them an idea of what you’re about.
Social media posts can drive traffic
With website traffic considered a major search engine ranking factor, you’ll want to grow that traffic every way possible.
And one obvious method is through social media posts. When a lot of people share your content (directly from your website) or your posts (directly on the social media platform itself) to their own networks of friends and followers, they’re potentially boosting your rankings. The more who see your content, the more who might click and visit your website.
Of course, remember that any random content won’t suffice. Strive for value and make the content as visual and engaging as possible.
Social media is a great way to promote your content to audiences who may never have even heard of you before. Whether it’s an organic content strategy or paid social media campaigns, social media has an undeniable power. This is because while SEO is about reaching those who need you, social media is about reaching those who didn’t even realize they needed you.
Great quality content can generate various engagement actions, including shares, which again can lead to greater website traffic that can boost your SEO.
Of course, you can expand your reach even further through influencers. Check out our seven tips before you dive into influencer marketing.
Social media platforms are search engines themselves
The search function on various social media platforms is far more robust than we sometimes realize. It serves as a valuable search engine itself, where people can discover your profile, page, content or even events (depending on the platform).
Make sure you are optimizing your social media profiles and content with your relevant keywords to boost your visibility in these searches.
Check out these 11 free SEO keyword research tools to help if you’re unsure what keywords to use.
Social media affects local SEO
The name, address and phone number of your business already plays an important role in local search rankings.
Google will consider your business more credible if this key information is consistent across your social media profiles. That credibility naturally boosts your local search rankings.
Whenever you can geotag your posts and/or Stories, all the better. This also will help your local visibility.
In addition, social media reviews can help you attract local potential customers. About 86 percent of consumers read reviews about local businesses.
Check out our 11 local SEO tips to help you beat your competition.
The YouTube effect on SEO
Because YouTube videos get prominent rankings in search engine results, they get a special mention. The more popular and relevant your YouTube videos are to a search query on Google, the more likely they’ll rank high.
Part of this is due to Google owning YouTube. And YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world (after Google, of course).
That means that you must optimize your YouTube channel and videos for SEO.
Check out our 20 tips that can help you grow your followers (and presence) on YouTube.
Beyond YouTube, video, in general, holds a higher value in search engine rankings. If you need, here are five reasons why your business should create more videos.
What Google says now versus what can happen in the future
There has been a back and forth over the years of whether Google directly considers social signals for search rank. But just because the latest word from Google is that social media isn’t a direct influence on your SEO, that doesn’t mean that can’t change in the future.
The idea here is that your best practices should be happening always. You never know how search engine algorithms will evolve in the future. And in the meantime, your efforts are a rising tide that will benefit your business in both direct and indirect ways.
SEO does not just mean Google
While Google is saying social signals aren’t a factor in its search algorithm, other search engines (like Bing) actually do use social signals.
Just because Google carries a majority of searches, Bing still has a fair share.
Remember that great SEO impacts your ranking on various search engines, not just Google.
While you’re considering your social media’s impact on your SEO, think about how you can improve your digital marketing process. Is it everything you want it to be? DailyStory features automation, audience segmentation and more. Schedule your free demo with us today.
